Marguerite Falcon nee Lesperance

Buffalo Trails & Tales - Biographies
By Frances Pulscher and Florence Hayes
Marguerite Lesperance was born on 20 anuary !"#! in Fort Benton$ %orth &est
Territories$ now Montana$ to oseph Lesperance and Marie La'allee( %ot )uch is *nown
about her childhood but before she reached the age of eighteen she )arried +nesi)e
Falcon$ the grandson of Pierre Falcon ,i'ertisant$ -The Bard of the Plains-( They were
)arried on the 22 +ctober !"." in /t( Francois-0a'ier$ Manitoba( By !"12 they had
)o'ed their little fa)ily to /tarbuc*$ Manitoba(
Marguerite was a )idwife and deli'ered )any babies in the town of /tarbuc*$ while
+nesi)e bought horses nursed the) bac* to health$ trained the) and resold the)( &hen
he went out to buy horses he carried large a)ounts of )oney with hi)( &hile on one of
his horse buying trips he was attac*ed$ hit on the head and thrown o'er the /eine 3i'er
Bridge$ in /t( Boniface( +nesi)e was )urdered 4ust before their youngest daughter
5ugenie was born in !10! and Marguerite was left to raise her fa)ily alone( Marguerite
had !2 children counting +nesi)e6s children fro) his first )arriage as well as their own$
but she often referred to the children she deli'ered as hers(
%ow alone to support her fa)ily Marguerite went to wor* for a Mr( /tinson who was the
ban*er in /tarbuc*( +ne day while washing o'erhauls she accidentally cut her hand on
one of the buc*les on the shoulder straps of the o'erhauls( The cut got infected and blood
poison set in( Marguerite was first treated with traditional )edicines but nothing see)ed
to wor* and her hand was a)putated( That was unsuccessful7 the blood poison *ept
creeping up her ar)( 8t was finally halted when they a)putated her ar) at the elbow(
Ha'ing only one ar) did not pre'ent Marguerite fro) carrying on with her life( /he
needed help with so)e of her household tas*s but she could still tend to her garden and
was able to roll her own cigarettes with one hand(
Marguerite was a de'ote 9atholic$ a good-hearted wo)an who cared for the ill and
infir)( Her granddaughter Florence$ re)e)bers going to the church late at night to pray
and )a*e the way of the cross in the dar*( /he cared for her daughter 5'a who was bed
ridden$ 'isited the sic* and it was not surprising$ that at the age of #1 when her youngest
daughter 5ugenie died in !120$ that she too* o'er the care of her two little
granddaughters Florence and 5'a(
Marguerite )o'ed to Haywood with her two granddaughters$ but was still on call to go
and deli'er babies for the Henry La'allee fa)ily in /tarbuc*( &hen the girls were old
enough to attend a con'ent that trained girls to beco)e )aids$ they )o'ed bac* to
&innipeg$ where they too* up residence on Hargra'e /t( &hene'er Marguerite went to
'isit relati'es and ailing friends she would wal* to their ho)es( /he couldn6t ride the
streetcars because it )ade her sic*( 8t wasn6t unusual for the)$ *ou*ou) and the girls to
!
wal* to Fort :arry and /t( Boniface( They would also wal* to /t( %orbert and ta*e the
ferry to /t( ;ital to 'isit Mada)e <nna :uiboche to loo* after her and *eep her co)pany(
Marguerite always wore long blac* dresses and *ept her hair in a bun( /he was a good
coo* and so)e of their fa'ourite foods were bannoc* and -des boulette-( /oup and
)acaroni were the )eals they en4oyed )ost often because they couldn6t afford )uch else(
&hen she had )ore leisure ti)e in her ad'ancing years Marguerite en4oyed playing
cards( Her ga)e of choice was whist( Marguerite li'ed long enough to see 5'a and
Florence )arried and to see two great-grandchildren born(
Marguerite passed away in !1=2 and was interred in the /t( Boniface ce)etery(
/crip affida'it for Lesperance$ Marie7 born> 2" March !"2.7 wife of oseph Lesperance7
father> Martin La'allee ?French 9anadian@7 )other> Marie 3obert ?MAtis@7 clai) no> .!=7
scrip no> BBB2 to BB#07 date of issue> une 2#$ !".#7 a)ount> C!#0(
/crip affida'it for La'allAe$ Marie7 wife of oseph Lesperance7 father> Martin La'allAe
?,eceased@7 )other> Marie 3obert7 died> 20 /epte)ber !".27 heirs> her children> Marie$
Helene$ Pierre$ 9harles$ osephte$ ulie$ Melie$ Louise$ & 5lie7 clai) no> "207 scrip no>
12#2 to 12.07 date of issue> 2 uly !".#7 a)ount> C!#0
/crip affida'it for Falcon$ +nAsi)e$ as sole heirs of his deceased daughter 5leonore
Falcon7 born> # <ugust$ !".07 father> +nAsi)e Falcon7 )other> Marie La'erdure7 died>
une 2$ !".!(
/crip affida'it for Lesperance$ oseph7 born> 2. +ctober !"227 father> <leDis Lesperance
?French 9anadian@7 )other> Marguerite :uernon ?MAtis@7 clai) no> .!27 scrip no> BB=B
to BBB27 date of issue> une 2#$ !".#7 a)ount> C!#0
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